Serendipity
by raquelrv
Summary: It is Liz's birthday and she feels lonely, then Red shows up and surprises her. But he does not act as he uses to, Raymond Reddington seems confused. Lizzington themed.
1. Chapter 1

AN.: I own nothing.

Thanks jackandsamforever, for all your help with this one, and mylla88, who supported me from Day One when I decided to write this one.

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Elizabeth never cared much for her birthday, it was like any other day. However, this year was different. She realized that it was an opportunity to spend time with Sam, and that always made it worth it. Now, there was no Sam. There was no Tom. It was going to be just her.

Tom was gone. She didn't imagine that she would miss him, not after everything that happened. There was Gina and Jolene, whoever they were. Their marriage had been in trouble for a while, she knew that, but everything is different when you have someone at home waiting for you. Although at the end of the day, what mattered was that she wasn't his companion, but his mission. She never imagined that he was capable of anything illegal – but there was only only one truth above all else: she'd been married to a man that she had no idea who he really was.

Now she was all alone.

In the past, Liz wasn't able to keep in touch with her friends because the FBI consumed all of her time. In her precious spare time she simply had no ambition to do anything other than spend time with Tom. But now, even if someone had surprised her with plans, she wasn't in the mood to celebrate. Liz only wanted to finish this silly mission, go home and take a hot bubble bath.

They'd been sitting in the van for two hours, waiting for their Blacklist target to show up - Davis, some drug dealer who used to finance terrorist transactions over the years, including some of the Freelancer's work. Ressler was already impatient, cursing Raymond Reddington for the bad tip. Meera seemed bored, re-checking all of the files, mostly for her own distraction. Aram kept checking the surveillance monitors, eager to find anything suspect.

Liz was lost in her own thoughts. It took her several seconds to notice that her phone was ringing. Nick's Pizza. She sighed, and touched the answer option on the screen. She didn't even bother to say anything

"Lizzie", he said calmly, "Call it a night. He's not going to show up."

"Oh really?" She didn't try to hide the sarcasm her voice, unloading all of her frustrations on Red. Liz looked at Ressler and confirmed what the four of them already figured out sometime before. "He is not coming, let's go home."

"One of my contacts informed me that he checked in at the Dulles Airport, and is leaving to Brussels. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long." He was patronizing her, she knew, but there was some apology in his voice.

"Sure, fine, whatever," she said and ended the call, confirming to the others what they'd already guessed.

Liz was sick of Red's games. It was true that Red had helped to catch a great number of blacklisters; in some way, Liz was famous, just as he promised her on their first meeting. That was everything a rookie FBI agent could ever dream about, and it was really happening to her; thanks to Red. But this is the same man, who derailed her entire life, made work the only thing left in her life that mattered. Because of him and his missions, she wasn't able to say goodbye to the most beloved man in her life, the man who took her in and raised her like his own. There was her marriage, but she wasn't sure that its ending was a bad thing. The worst thing about Red was his notion that she had to be there for him all the time, even if it wasn't clear what he wanted from her. Of course, she had to be there for him, he was her current assignment at the FBI; it was exhausting.

Everybody started packing up the files and equipment, and Ressler headed to the front of the van to instruct the driver; soon the vehicle was in transit. She would finally be able to go home.

It was late, but they weren't returning to the Post Office because they were picked up at houses, so there were no cars to worry about. Liz closed her eyes and leaned her head against the dark window. She felt depressed at the thought of going to an empty house. She didn't care about her birthday, it was just weird to be by herself; she was so used to having someone around, despite being a self-described loner.

The van slowed, but Liz didn't bother to open her eyes, she knew it was too soon to be at her place, it must be someone else's stop. "C'mon, Scott, we're going to hang out and relax a little," Ressler said in his usual bossy tone. Liz wasn't inclined to do anything, she just wanted the day to be over with. She had pleading eyes.

"Let's go, Liz, we all need it. It's been a long day, and nothing's going on tomorrow, so we can sleep in," Meera said, almost motherly. She was right, Red himself told her that Davis had left the country, so there was nothing to be done, and there wasn't much to do at the Post Office lately. She looked up and saw Aram waiting for her to join Ressler and Meera, who were already standing on the sidewalk. She sighed in defeat and got out of the black van, with Aram coming out right behind her.

They went to a bar that she had always been curious about. Someone once told her that the music selection was excellent, but she wasn't in the mood, so she could only hope that her bad mood wouldn't spoil the experience. When they entered the bar, she thought it looked a little vintage, both the decor and the music. The music blaring over the speaker sounded like something from the sixties, and it was something Sam used to hum when she was just a little girl. Her eyes stung, but she knew that it was neither the time nor the place to let her emotions get the best of her.

They headed to an open booth at the back of the pub. Meera ordered a martini and Aram and Ressler choose beer. Since she was there, she decided that it would be better to try to enjoy herself. She was reminded of Red's Aviation Cocktail, which seemed to fit in a place like this. Why not give it a try? It tasted good, after all, and she didn't feel like the usual wine or beer.

Aram and Meera were engaging in an animated conversation. Ressler was typing something on his cellphone while singing along the Beatles tune that was playing loudly. She slowly felt her muscles begin to relax; their stakeout had tired her out, even with so little activity. She hadn't taken some time off for a while; there hadn't been much chasing going on in the last month, but she had a lot of paper work to catch up on.

Their drinks arrived, but before she could taste her drink, Meera knocked a spoon against her glass to capture everyone's attention. Liz looked around, confused about what was going on, as the CIA agent started to speak to her, "We all know you tend to keep a low profile over this sort of thing, but we didn't want you to be home alone tonight. It has been a long year, and so much happened. Red's trying to make us all crazy with his cat-and-mouse game, and you are the most affected by this-his madness. Liz, we care a lot about you and we're here for you."

"Happy birthday, Scott," Ressler said loudly as soon as Meera ended her speech. Liz tried to hide the timid smile that emerged on her face.

"You're probably sick of us," Aram said in his usual tender voice, "We spend almost seventy hours a week together, but we'd like you to have some fun, at least today." Liz couldn't stop the thankful smile that stole across her face. She had always considered her co-workers good acquaintances, but she realized that she considered them friends now; she suddenly felt more alive than she had in months.

Ressler raised his bottle and shouted an animated happy birthday, and the other two followed him. The cups and bottles clinked at the center of the table.

The four of them engaged in some lighthearted conversation, getting to know each other better. Liz wasn't inclined to share too much about herself, but she was really enjoying just having a normal conversation with normal adults. Aram, who always seemed like a shy guy, was really outgoing and funny, telling them stories about his days as a teenager; some so unbelievable that all of those who knew him from work would doubt his truthfulness.

Then Meera provoked her. "So, Liz. Seems like you really didn't know Red before all of this. What does he want with you?"

That question was unexpected, and the other two sitting at the table stared at her with looks of curiosity. At this point Liz could already know, since he made it very clear from day one that he will _only_ speak to her. Of course there were meetings at the Post Office that everybody joined, yet they all knew, or at least imagined, that the two of them had met in other circumstances.

Liz laughed nervously. "I'd give my life to know the real answer to that question!" All of them laughed loudly at the back of the bar.

"Oh, Scott," Ressler said in the middle of laughing, "I don't believe that you don't know what he wants. Besides, the old man seems to have a crush on you."

"Ya think?" she said in a playful tone, and everybody laughed again. She felt relieved, apparently her co-workers hadn't noticed her tension; she felt her face burning with the blush that spread towards her neck, but the place was dark enough and the three of them were so busy laughing at her answer that it went unnoticed. Liz sighed and smiled widely as her anxiety dissipated.

That was nice, actually. It'd been a while since she'd enjoyed some good company, even if she had thought that that she wouldn't be totally comfortable joking around with her co-workers. Liz would have never guessed how much fun these people would be, especially since the closer they got to that was in Budapest, when they were after The Alchemist, and Ressler was whining about Audrey. Poor Ressler. It has been a while since he lost her. Her life was not the only one that changed after Raymond Reddington showed up.

She felt the alcohol numbing her mind as she finished her blue cocktail; she had barely eaten the entire day. Red was right, it tasted like spring, and she wanted more. She ordered some appetizers along with her second cocktail so she wouldn't get drunk.

As the mini sandwiches were served, Liz tuned out her companion's conversation. She was still light-headed, but she hoped the presence of food in her stomach would made the dizziness dissipate.

As she took her first sip of her brand new fancy cocktail. Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" echoed around them, leaving her even more zoned out. Sam loved this song too, but this time she didn't feel like crying; she felt comforted. It was a sorrowful song, but it reminded her of some happy memories with her father - she could even smell the wet soil outside, soaked with the relentless rain. They spent the weekend playing board games while they listened to some old records. That's all the memory was, but somehow it was engraved in her mind. She felt like Sam was embracing her when the soft voices reverberated. "Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk to you again…"

Liz sighed with a small smile on her face as she looked at nothing in particular behind Aram's shoulder. As Aram's hand touched her arm, she left the good memory behind and focused on Red, who appeared out of nowhere by her side. Where did he come from? The fact was she didn't know where _she_ had been, but she couldn't help to wonder what was he doing there.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can see you have an exquisite taste for drinks," Red said in a cheeky tone, with a broad grin on his face - in some way, that was his drink for her, he had profiled her perfectly when they were in Canada and he had ordered that particularly beverage; despite her wanting Chardonnay. He looked sharp in his dark charcoal three piece suit, with one hand in his pocket and the other one held out towards Liz. "May I have this dance?"

She glanced at the intrigued expressions on her friend's faces at the table, then Ressler gave her a small smile; almost like a blessing. It was funny when protective Ressler showed up from time to time.

Liz took Red's hand and stood up, trying to control her trembling hand so he wouldn't notice. He had an amused look on his face, like it was some kind of coincidence. He led her to the place where other couples were already dancing. As they walked out of the sight of the other agents, he placed his hand at the small of her back, his body was so close that Liz was able to feel the warmth emanating from him, embracing her being.

They reached the center of the room and Red pulled at her waist, moving her body towards him as he grabbed her hand and began to dance. She could smell his lingering scent, the one she could identify so well even when they were apart. It was some peculiar blend of Sicilian Lemon, cardamom and cedar, and at this close proximity it made her feel heady and intoxicated.

As Red gently moved his hand up to the bottom of her ribcage, he pulled her infinitesimally closer. Liz shivered when his warm breath met the skin of her bare neck.

"Did you know that this one was supposed to be just the guitar and their two voices?" She asked him, hoping to hide her growing nervousness. "Then the producer added the bass and drums to the recording without telling them," Liz said and looked up to his eyes. He had been gazing her with slightly parted lips and she could see his tongue slowly moving along the inside of his lips.

"I'm really impressed, Lizzie. How in earth do you know so much about a song written many years before you were born?" He lowered his voice and she couldn't avoid staring at his lips. "You never cease to amaze me." Her eyes went down to his chest; he could tell she was obviously embarrassed. He chuckled and it helped break the tension, causing her to smile.

The end of the song was near, but Red gave no indication that he was going to stop and unleash her. Some fast chords rang out right before Elvis's sweet voice began to sing. Liz heard Red's voice, which caused her to look at him again, surprise written on her face. He had his eyes closed tightly and his brows furrowed while singing the first two lines. "One night with you… That's what I'm now praying for…" His expression relaxed as he moved their bodies along with the song, and showed a closed mouth smile. "The things that we two could plan..." Red opened his eyes and fixed them on hers seductively, but still with a shadow of a smile, and shook his head minutely. "Would make my dreams come true."

Liz was confused, but she gave him little coy smile. 'What was that?' was all she was able to think. Was Raymond Reddington declaring his love for her or was he just trying to seduce her? That thought took Liz's breath away; she'd already felt the odd tingling sensation on other occasions, but she never took it seriously - that feeling was often related to her own loneliness or to the lack of trust that had grown between her and Tom, which was also caused by Reddington - at least he had been right about that. In any case, it always seemed like some kind of game just to keep her around. However, this time he wasn't giving mixed signals, not just implying something without verbalizing it and leaving it to her to try to figure out his meaning; he had actually said the words. Ok, it was the lyrics of the song that they were dancing to, but there was no need to sing them in her ear in that tone.

Red pulled her a little closer and leaned his temple against hers, his lips were near her ear, and she could feel the hot air brushing over her skin once again as he continued to sing softly in almost a whisper. "Just call my name… And I'll be right by your side..." Those were true, he had told her that before - but again, she'd assumed that she was over thinking it. His hand slid around her body as he wrapped his arm around her completely; embracing her. Both of their bodies were tightly wound around each other while he whispered the next two lines, still with his head against hers. "I want your sweet helping hand… My love's too strong to hide".

Red squeezed her back gently where his hand was at just before relaxing his grip and pulling back slightly. He looked into her eyes and she could see a mocking expression on his face while his lips formed a grin, framing the words, "Always lived very quiet life… I ain't never did no wrong." Liz couldn't help but smile at those words, as he admitted his mistakes through the song, but it also led her to wonder if the rest of his words were true or not, since he made it very clear that those last words weren't accurate.

Then his smile melted into a frown, his green eyes never leaving hers. "Now I know that life without you has been too lonely too long". She felt her stomach jump; his eyes were full of sincerity and grief, as she had seen so many times in the last year. It was almost the same look he had when he made sure that she was ok when he found her at Stanley Kornish's cabin, but there was something more. He protected her, that's for sure, presumably more times than Liz even realized. She knew that even when he was not around, someone else was because he ordered them to, but she felt something akin to paternal protection sometimes. However, Raymond Reddington had said too many things that didn't sound like something a father would tell his own daughter – she didn't wanted him to be, and for her relief, he had assured her he wasn't her father. But all her feelings about and for him were mixed. He used to be overprotective, rude, and alluring towards her, although at this point Liz didn't doubt his good intentions concerning her. Now, all she wanted was for him to clear about his feelings for her.

Red broke eye contact and placed his head beside hers again; obviously avoiding any questions from her. He continued the slow dancing without saying anything else. Liz was confused: Red showed up out of the blue, asked her to dance, complimented her, said a lot of loving words; then acted like nothing had happened. He had always played these little mind games, then changed the subject; at that moment, however, it seemed like he didn't know what to do, and that was an unknown Raymond Reddington.

Even his leading was different, it wasn't smooth anymore, it was stiff, like when both of them were trying to lead at the Syrian embassy. His hand was slightly sweaty, but there was nothing he could do about that, so their movements continued silently between them as Elvis repeated what Red had chanted moments ago. Each line caused Liz to become more overwhelmed with the meaning of those words, and with the way they'd came out of Red's mouth. Her blush grew at the thought. At first she'd chosen to believe that he was only enjoying the moment, but now he was acting like a reckless teenager that had declared his love without realizing the consequences. It was like he had crossed some invisible line, and she was the girl who didn't know what she wanted.

The music ended soon after, and although Red had stopped moving, he didn't let her go. Now that they were motionless, Liz could feel his chest moving in and out quickly and heard his labored breathing. While he wasn't able to move away from her, she took the time to put herself together. When he finally stepped back, still holding her hand, his face was serious and his eyes were misty. He moved his face towards hers, and she held her breath as he placed a tender kiss on her cheek. His intoxicating scent along with his proximity made her weak in the knees.

"Happy birthday, Lizzie," Red said with an inscrutable look while slowly stroking her hand with his thumb, then walked away quickly. He left the pub without looking back at her, not bothering to say goodbye to the other agents or escorting her back to their table.

It was useless to try to understand what had just occurred, and any attempt to clarify things later when they met again would certainly fail because he'd pretend that nothing had happened. Now Liz had to put herself together and act naturally, otherwise the agents at the booth would notice, and she didn't have the strength to justify anything.

"So… the man is the Concierge of Crime _and_ Fred Astaire! Who would've guessed…" Ressler said playfully as Liz sat back at the table. His joke made all of them laugh, including Liz, who tried to mask her anxiety. She took a large gulp from the cocktail she had left there when Red took her to dance, and asked the waiter for a bottle of water since the alcohol had quickly left her light-headed.

It was time for her to go. Liz knew there would be some protesting, but it had been a long day and the last few minutes were too confusing for her to ruminate over. The previously planned bubble bath would be perfect to collect her thoughts. Despite some expected arguing, Meera, Aram and Ressler knew that Liz truly was tired, and her friends recognized that she stayed there for longer than they'd thought she would. After another round of birthday wishes - even Cooper had left her a message through Meera - she walked from the back of the pub towards the front exit, passing by the place she'd danced with Red.

As Liz stepped out of the bar, she spotted Red standing on the sidewalk.


	3. Chapter 3

Liz froze at the sight of Red standing outside of the bar. She didn't expect him to be there since he had left the place several minutes before her, and she thought that by that time he would already be gone. He raised his right hand and scratched gently the top of his head with his thumb. He seemed tense, nervous even, looking around, probably searching for Dembe. In his search, he found her standing at the exit of the pub. She smiled thinly, feeling timid because of the previous events. He chuckled when he saw how shy she was acting as they approached each other.

"I asked Dembe to pick up a package for me while I was here." Red had left so abruptly that Dembe hadn't been able to get back there on such short notice, Liz imagined. "I hope tonight's unsuccessful chase didn't spoil your plans."

He must've known she had no plans for that night - she was alone, after all; there was, however, some sorrow in his voice, so she chose not to argue, he was just being considerate.

"It's ok. I didn't have any plans. It was nice to get out, though." Just as she said that, Dembe stopped the black sedan beside them.

"Do you need me to escort you to your car?" Red asked.

"I'll just take the cab, thanks."

"In that case, I'll take you home. In fact, I don't know how much you've had to drink, so I'd not throw caution to the wind letting you drive back home." She was not in the position to turn him down, he made that very clear, so she gave him a grateful smile while he opened the door for her, leading her with his free hand. "Dembe, we're going to take Elizabeth home." Red closed the door and went to the other side of the vehicle and got in. Chills spread through her body when she heard her given name coming out of his mouth. She hadn't ever heard him call her that before. It was indeed an unusual night.

It was mostly a quiet ride; the only time Red said something was to Dembe to confirm that he had retrieved his package. Dembe confirmed that it was in the trunk, and the next minutes were spent in silence. Liz was alone with her own disturbing thoughts, so she tried to think about the next day's work.

The black car pulled up in front Liz's home. She was preparing to move out of that house after all that had happened there, but she hadn't had the time to do so yet.

"Thank you," she said to Red, avoiding eye contact, and looked toward the front seat while opening her door. "Thanks, Dembe. Good night." Before Dembe could answer, Red grabbed her hand that was still on the seat, and studied her.

"Lizzie…" he said in a husky voice. "I want you to know that you will never be alone, ok? If you need space, I'll do my best to give you all the space you need. But you never must think that you're alone in this world, not as long as I'm in it. Do you understand?"

Liz was caught off guard by the tenderness in his voice. She articulated the best she could, given the situation.

"I know you'll be around for a while, and you feel like you have to protect me since I'm in the middle of your crusade because you asked me to be. I-"

"You know that's not the case. At this point you know I didn't pick you, randomly, and it is not a matter of having to protect you, but wanting to," he said slowly. "I know I said this before, but I need you to keep this in mind: no matter what's going on, if you're in need, I'll be by your side, or wherever you need me to be."

Liz gulped at his words and felt her eyes stinging. She turned her palm up and laced her fingers with his, then gave him a small smile. "I know. And I'm thankful for that."

Red let go of her hand and pulled a wallet-sized box from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to her. "I left in a rush earlier, and when I got outside I noticed that I had forgotten about this. I believe you will appreciate it."

"You don't have to-" Red interrupted her again.

"I didn't have to. But I wanted to. Go on, Lizzie, Its been a long day and you need to rest," he paused, "Sweet dreams, sweetheart."

She smiled and said, "Good night, Red." Then got out of the car and walked in her house. As soon as she closed the front door, the black car moved away.

Her head was spinning with Elvis's words, so she couldn't distinguish her own thoughts. She went straight upstairs and turned on her iPod that was sitting in the docking station in her bedroom. Liz sat on her bed as Sting crooned "In the moonlight, all the words you say make it relatively easy to be swept away. In the half-light, can we trust the way we feel?"

She shook her head and unwrapped the box Red gave to her. It was a navy blue jewelry box, and on the inside there was a thin chain with a locket. Some flashes of memory struck her, something she hadn't seen for a while, but it was too foggy to understand what she was seeing. She opened the locket and there was the image of two-year-old Liz on the lap of her mother. Tears leaked out of her eyes unbidden, and she had no reason to hold them back this time. She sobbed and held the locket tightly in her hand; she believed that it had been lost in the fire. She didn't know how Red came in possession of it, but she was glad he'd found it.

She managed to take it out of the box with shaking fingers, as the ripped wrapping paper fell to the floor, it revealed a picture that was inside of the package, under the box. Liz caught it and examined it. She and her mother were in the middle of the image, it was the same one that was inside the locket. It looked like they were at some kind of party, maybe an outside barbecue, because there were other people in it. She brought it closer to analyze those faces.

At the right of the mother and daughter, behind them, there were two man chatting happily. They looked like a younger Sam and Raymond Reddington.

It was Sam and Red, about thirty years ago.

Then it struck her; she had never been alone, and she never would be.


	4. Chapter 4

Raymond Reddington waited until the front door shut and Elizabeth was safe inside her house before ordering Dembe to continue on. Taking care of her was his duty, his need, the reason to continue pursuing his quest; even with Tom out of the picture, she was still one of his vulnerabilities, maybe the biggest of them at this point.

But the whole blacklist thing went out of control, he was aware of it; at least where it concerned Liz.

Initially it was a perfect idea. She knew too little about her past - he was sure of that, as Sam had always kept him posted. She had tried to discover something about her past when she was a teenager, but then came the adulthood problems, the Academy, and Tom; so she decided to concern herself with her future, and not dwell on her past. Red was going to eliminate all those in his way with her help - it was convenient that she was in the FBI, and he would show her who she really is. Sam wanted that too; his illness caused him to re-evaluate some choices he made regarding her, so he supported Red when he decided to lead Liz to the truth.

However, it didn't take long for her charm and intelligence to take him in. At a distance, she was a strong woman; close up, she was much more – as he said to Sam, she was volatile, unpredictable, soft and hard at the same time. He was curious about her, but that curiosity had only grown as he got to know her better.

Red had noticed that he was losing control of his feelings for her when she finally began to accept that there really was something wrong about Tom. Two times, occuring only days apart, when she was in pain and decided to look for Red. She actually said in both occasions she didn't know why she went after _him_. In the first one, she arrived with tears in her eyes; in the second one, the tears rolled during the middle of their talk, and he couldn't help but hold her hand to assure her she could trust him. That touch was unexpected even for him, but it felt natural and right. After that his feelings only grew stronger. The assault to the Post Office made it very clear to him how important she had become to him.

Red always considered himself very good at restraint and he was proud of it, but the last year had tested him. Liz still had feelings for Tom; they were still married then. Red didn't care about any of that when the relationship was meaningless, or the other person was not worthy of her significant other; but everything about Elizabeth was deeper.

The other thing the Anslo attack showed him was that their proximity only made it more dangerous to her; while Red planned to show up at the FBI Headquarters, he thought that the nearness would allow him to look after her more carefully, but he had been wrong. She made him weak. She was not a vulnerability anymore; she was his weakness.

Before, he intended to keep her safe; now she was his reason to live.

"Dembe, please turn around."

"Back to miss Elizabeth's place?" Dembe asked with an inquisitive look in the rearview mirror. He could only imagine what was going on, he would never ask Raymond anything because Raymond had never said anything about what he felt for Liz. It was, however, very clear to Dembe that whatever it was, it was intense. He had known Red for a while, but he had never seen him like this.

"Yes," Red replied in a deep tone.

It was sloppy of him, Raymond was aware of it. The entire night has been a show of recklessness on his part. He crossed some lines he shouldn't have. Asking her to dance was not a problem, it had happened before and it hadn't been a big deal, even if it happened in an unforeseen way. Everything was under control, at least before that Elvis tune began. It was too late to take anything back now.

He held himself in check with difficulty as they danced; he only remembered the package he was carrying when he got outside. Luckily or not, Liz showed up before he left the place so he could hand her the gift, but he wasn't prepared for anything else.

The scent of her hair, her body curved into his body, her smooth skin lingering on his lips. He had no choice but to run after the dancing, run before he did something that would spoil everything they developed the last year - he could not let his feelings for her to get in the way of his ultimate agenda - and all the other agents were near them, so it wouldn't be appropriate.

He liked to think that way, it was comfortable; although he knew it was not true. There was only one truth: he was scared, scared to get involved; he couldn't afford to let his feelings distract him. He could not afford to have someone else to lose, he had lost too much already.

During the ride back to her house, he decided the best thing to do was to keep protecting her. He unexpectedly let out some feelings he had for her during their dance, but it was the right thing to do. After all, Liz was feeling vulnerable and she needed some comforting. His only mistake had been choosing to hold her hand; it would have been okay if she hadn't reciprocated; but she had. Her hand turning underneath his, their intertwined fingers and the light squeeze she applied to his hand. He had to act quickly, so he handed her the small package and advised her to go home and rest.

She left the car having no idea of the spark she planted that was slowly burning inside of him; but now his heart was in flames. He was not able to hold it back anymore, he had been incomplete for too long.

As soon Dembe stopped the car in front of the house again, the current burner phone started to ring. "It's agent Scott," he informed Red, handing him the device.

"Lizzie," he heard her beginning to speak in a confused tone, but he interrupted her, "I am at your front door," stepping out of the car he ended the call.

His heartbeat raced as he walked towards the entrance; his breathing labored. Her heavy footsteps coming downstairs were audible from the front hall, where Red waited for her to open the inside door. She showed up barefooted and holding both the blue box and the picture. She had been crying, her eyes were swollen and red, her eyelashes soaked in tears.

She opened the door and stood in front of him. Her eyes were filled with a mix of confusion and gratitude. There was a small move of her eyebrows as she opened her mouth to say something.

Red had always been amazed by her eyes, they were astonishing when she was angry, happy, concerned or frightened; but the tears were what had always moved him the most. They compelled him to comfort her, even when the circumstances didn't allow him to embrace her and reassure her that everything was going to be alright; he knew her temper, so there weren't many times when he could fulfill his urges. Now she needed the truth, the whole truth, because clearly she wouldn't be satisfied by his breadcrumbs; by that time, however, he would not be able to tamp down his own need for her.

He took a step forward and placed a hand at her waist, the other one at the back of her neck, his fingers went through her hair as he pulled her closer to him. He tilted his head slightly and touched her warm lips with his.

Liz's body stiffened at his touch. He pressed his lips against hers and searched her lower lip, savoring her mouth. He felt her body begin to slowly relax in his arms; Liz dropped her jaw just a little, causing his stomach to flip in anticipation. He slid his tongue inside her mouth and moved it along her bottom lip. It didn't take long for her to reciprocate the kiss; the box and the picture fell down to the ground and he felt her hands move to his arm and the bottom of his ribcage shyly.

The kiss was way better than anything he had ever imagined. Her touch was tender and passionate. He had feared for how she was going to react, now he was absolutely taken in by her. Suddenly he remembered that Liz had been drinking, and he didn't know how much alcohol she could tolerate. Then there was his gift to her; the revelation it carried. He needed her touch, he gave up denying it, but the flood of emotions the locket itself might bring was enough to cloud her line of thinking, even if she was kissing him back.

Red pulled his mouth away and slid the hand that still was caressing her neck down to her arm, reaching her hand and holding it tight. He leaned his head against her forehead. Her breath was heavy and warm. He sighed.

"Lizzie," his voice was husky but tender, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't -"

"Don't. Please," she interrupted him in a whisper. "I've been wondering why you didn't do that back in the pub. Actually… I wonder what took you so long."

Red chuckled at her words. 'Maybe I should've done it before', he thought.

"I wasn't ready. You weren't ready - maybe you're still not ready, and I don't want to spoil what this might be in the future." He took a step back and looked down, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry for my manners, it was not chivalrous of me." Red crouched to pick up what she had dropped. He looked up and there was a small grin on her face; she looked more beautiful than ever. He stood up and handed her the picture and the locket box, and she took hold of his wrist.

"Come inside. We have a lot to talk about."


End file.
